News

ISBE/Arts Council work together to boost public school
Arts and Foreign Language programs

27 school districts
to split implementation grants totaling more than $2
million

SPRINGFIELD—The Illinois State Board of
Education (ISBE) and the Illinois Arts Council (IAC),
today announced
grants to expand Arts and Foreign Language programming
at public schools worth more than $2 million. Twenty-seven
school districts across the state will receive the implementation
grants that range from $22,000 to $100,000, depending
on the size of the district, the scope of the program
and the level of planning required.

“The arts and foreign language play a strong role
in providing our students with a well rounded education
and we’re proud to work with the Arts Council to
improve these programs at our public schools,” said
Christopher Koch, State Superintendent of Education. “These
implementation grants give school districts additional
resources to expand and improve instruction in these
core areas of education.”

The Arts and Foreign Language Education Grant Program,
a partnership between ISBE and the IAC, help districts
to develop or strengthen arts and foreign language curricula.
This is the second year for the program which was developed
based on results of a 2005 study revealing broad disparities
in the amount of arts education students receive across
the state. The study found that 20 percent of Illinois
principals reported having no arts programs of any kind
in their schools.

“The arts are a powerful engine in developing
students’ creative faculties, dramatically increasing
their desire and ability to learn,” said Terry
A. Scrogum, IAC Executive Director. “Statewide
planning grants are a significant step toward cultivating
long-term sustainability for arts education programs
in the public schools. Implementation grants take the
critical next step, bringing goals to fruition. Without
this kind of support, even the most carefully planned
projects face often insurmountable barriers to success.
This continuing partnership with ISBE aims to empower
Illinoisans through arts and foreign language education
so they may achieve their greatest potential—both
in school and throughout their lives.”

Name of
School District

Arts

Foreign
Language

Funding
Recommendation

Alton Community School District 11

X

$99,680

Aurora West Unit School District 129

X

$100,000

Bellwood School District 88

X

$95,700

Blue Ridge CUSD 18

X

$47,047

CCSD 59 (Arlington Heights)

X

$100,000

Chicago Public Schools District 299

X

$100,000

Chicago Public Schools District 299

X

$100,000

CUD 300 (Carpentersville)

X

$100,000

Desoto CCSD 86

X

$22,923

Egyptian CUSD 5

X

$45,260

Kewanee CUSD 229

X

$96,588

Matteson SD 162

X

$100,000

Midwest Central Unit District 191

X

$89,850

Moline School District 40

X

$100,000

Oregon Community USD 220

X

$34,701

Polo Community School District 222

X

$24,683

Raccoon CSD #1

X

$100,000

Richmond Burton Comm. HS District 157

X

$99,900

Ridgeland School District 122

X

$100,000

Riverton CUD 14

X

$35,901

Rockford PSD 205

X

$100,000

Salem Community HS 600

X

$100,000

Schaumburg CCSD 54

X

$72,565

Warren Township HSD 121

X

$100,000

Wauconda CUSD 118

X

$100,000

West Central CUSD 235

X

$65,280

Woodstock CUSD 200

X

$50,483

Total Funding Request

$2,180,561

School districts receiving implementation grants
demonstrated a great need for additional funding for
their arts and
foreign language programs and the ability to develop
successfully a comprehensive plan to strengthen their
arts education or foreign language programs. Grant recipients
also acknowledged the central role of qualified staff
in relevant curricular areas and included strategies
for determining how these positions will be staffed.

As a component of the grant proposal, districts identified
a plan to allocate district resources as well as secure
additional resources from local organizations, businesses
and governmental agencies for sustaining a new or enhanced
arts or foreign language program in the future.